Carpet-cleaner.



No. 664,606. Patented Dec. 25, |900.

W. & J. BOWIE.

CARPET CLEANER.

(Application led Jan. 21, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

b me Nunms PETERS c'o, pHoro-Limo.. wAsHmG'roN, b. z:A

Nn. 664,606. Patented Dec. 25, |900.l

W. G. J.' BOWIE.

LARPET CLEANER.

(Application filed Jan. 21, 1899.1

(lundel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

TH: nonms PETERS co.. PHOTO-uma. wsmus'mmp. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BowIE AND JoHN BowIE, oF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

CARPET-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,606, dated December25, 1900.

Application led January 21, 1899- Serial No. 702,881. (No model.)

gium, No. 140,039, dated January 5, 1899, and,

in Canada, No. 63,087, dated May 18, 1899,) of which the following is aspecification.

At present when cleaning carpets, rugs, dac., it is usual after theyhave been subjected to the beating or brushing processV for the purposeof removing the dirt to renovate them by means of brushes charged withadetergent, which are vigorously rubbed over` 2o the fabric by hand. Thisentails much labor and consumes a great deal of time.

The main object of our invention is to pro- Vide a machine whereby thecarpet or other fabric can be renovated without the necessity for handrubbing. The machine is or may be also provided'with means whereby thecarpet can be steamed, if necessary.

In order that our said invention may be properly understood, we havehereunto appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, which show apreferred mode of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a view of oneend of the machine, and Fig. 3 is a view of the other end. Fig. 4 is asection of the machine, taken on the line w so, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is aperspective View illustrating the construction of the end of thereciprocating frame.

In the drawings the same reference-letters wherever repeated indicatethe same parts.

da represent the frame of the machine and is formed of suitableuprightsand cross-braces.

b is the machine-table over which the car- 45 pet to be cleaned andrenovated is carried, said table being supported on the frame a a.

The dotted line c, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, indicates the line of travel ofthe carpet.

d is the delivery-roller on which the car- 5o pet has been first rolledand from which it is unwound when being cleaned.

c is the take-up roller, which is mounted on a shaft e', having suitablebearings in brackets secured to the frame.

' ff2 represent the reciprocating frame carrying the brushes,and same isslidingly mounted on Ways supported by the frame at each end of themachine. The reciprocating frame consists of central end bars or blocksf, working in the ways at the ends of the machine, these bars beingconnected by and supporting the separated brush -holding bars f2,between which latter the brushes engage. Any convenient manner ofconstructing the ends of the reciprocating frame may be employedsuch,for instance, as disclosed in Fig. 5 of the drawings-and as the sameforms no part of the invention claimed it is not believed necessary togive a detailed description of the construction. l

g g are the brushes, which are secured to the blocks or handles h, saidhandles being held in the frame ff2 by means of uprights f3, rising fromthe bars f2 and carrying cross` heads f4, through which work^` dependingbrush-supporting and adjusting screws f'.

it' are benzene-troughs placed below the face of the table and providedwith removably-hinged covers Z Z. k lc are benzene-supply rollers, whichare partially immersed in the benzene j in the troughs.

m is a perforated steam-pipe running longitudinally along the center ofthe machine and below its face. This pipe m is divided into two parts bya vertical partition at its center, so that steam can, as desired, besupplied at either one end or other of the Inachine, or to both ends.

n n are branch steam-supply pipes leading from the main steam-pipe o tothe pipe m.

p10 are drain-pipes for drawing oft water from the two parts of theperforated steamplpe.

. q q are guide-rollers mounted on suitable shafts, over which thecarpet passes in traveling onto and from the table.

fr r are guides for the ends of the reciproeating framef and arehorizontally supported by suitable posts secured to the frame.

s is the main driving-shaft. s' s' are fast and loose pulleys on thisshaft s, and S2 is a IOO i which gear, respectively, with cog-wheels tton each end of a secondary shaft t2.

s f3 are connecting-rods which are pivoted at one end to the wheels tand at the other end to the reciprocating frame ffz.

u w are eccentrics at each end of the shaft 252.

u u are eccentric-rods, which at one end are connected toeccentric-straps working` on the eccentrics u, and at the other end tothe upper end of levers ufulcrumed on the shaft e of the roller e.

us n3 are ratchet-wheelsv keyed on the ends of the shaft e.

'a4 n4 are driving-pawls pivoted to the levers u2 and engaging-the teethof the ratchetwheel. Y

a5 d5 are stop-pawls pivoted to the frame a and also engaging "the teethof the ratchetwheel.

t is a bevel-wheel at one-end of the shaft d of the roller d. y

t is a bevel-pinion on the shaft c2, gearing with the wheel v.

Q23 is a wheel with handle for rotating the shaft e2, by means of whichvthe pinion t' is thrown in and out of4 gear with the wheel c.

w is a pulley on the shaft t2.

w is an endless belt passing around the pulley w and around a smallpulley on the end of the rear benzene-roller 7c.

oc is a'crossed driving-belt passing around the pulley on the extendedend k of the front benzeneroller k and also around a small pulley S5 onthe shaft s.

y is a fork pivoted at y on the frame for shifting the belt s2.

z is a perforated plate arranged along the center of the table and abovethe pipe m, through the perforations in which the steam is forcedintothe carpet.

The operation is as follows: The carpet e to be cleaned, which is firstwound upon the roller d by actuating the bevel-gearing 'u 'ul andhand-wheel 03, is automatically unrolled from the roller d onto theroller e by means of the pawl and ratchet mechanisms us n4, actuated bythe eccentric-rods u. The carpet whilebeing unrolled from the roller dand rolled Aup on the roller c is caused to gradually travel over thetable b, and during such travel is subjected to the rubbing action ofthe brushes g g. At each forward reciprocation of the brush frame thefront row of brushes g comes in contact with the front benzene-roller7c, while at each back reciprocation the rear row of brushes comes incontact with the rear roller k. Thus one row of the brushes -at eachreciprocation comes in contact with the benzene-rollers la, which latterrevolve in the benzene-troughs z', (the lids Zof which are opened out,asshown in Fig. 4,) and as a consequence they lift a certain amount of thebenzene from the rollers,which at the next reciprocatioi'l is rubbedinto the carpet. The action of the benzene, combined with the rubbingaction of the brushes, effectually cleans and renovates the carpet.

It may be stated that the carpet is preferably. beaten or shaken beforebeing placed in the machine. i

While the carpet is traveling over the table b, steam may be blownthrough it from the pipe m.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, there are three duplicate sets of brushesin the machine, arranged so as to suit the various widths of carpets.'When anarrow carpet is being cleaned, one set of brushes need only beused, and the other sets may be raised up by means of the screws f', soas not to perform any work. By means of the screws f' the brushes can beraised and lowered in their frames f2, and thereby adj usted so as tosuit different thicknesses of carpet.

When one or other of the sets of brushes is not in use, thebenzene-troughs opposite such set'or sets may be closed by means oftheir lids Z. It may be further stated that the lids Z when in theposition shown at Fig. 4 prevent benzene being splashed about 'by theaction of the brushes.

Whenever necessary, the pawls a4 may be thrown out of engagement withthe ratchet- Wheels us by means of cords z', which can be` pulledupward, (these cords may pass over overhead pulleys and be provided withhandles,) or by any other suitableand well-known device.

Having now fully described'our invention, what we claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a machine for cleaning and renovating textile fabrics, thecombination of asupporting-frame, brushes supported from the frame,mechanical means for reciprocating the brushes, means for traversing thefabric under the brushes, troughs supplied with a fiuid detergentsupported by the frame, rollers revolving within the troughs and adaptedto contact with the brushes, and means for revolving said rollers,substantially as described.

2. n a machine for cleaning1 and renovating textile fabrics, thecombination of a supporting-frame, brushes `supported from the frame,mechanical means for reciprocating the brushes, means for carrying thefabric under the brushes,means for supplying a fluid detergent to thebrushes, and means whereby steam can be directed against the fabric,substantially as described.

3. In a machine for cleaning and renovating textile fabrics, thecombination of a supporting-frame, slides moving reciprocally on theframe, brushes carried by the slides and vertically adjustable thereon,means for reciprocating the slides, means for vertically adjustingthebrushes, a table arranged below the brushes, means for carrying thefabric IOC) table, a perforated steam-pipe arranged below the saidplate, means for traversing the fabric 15 over the table and below thebrushes, and means for supplying a fluid detergent to the brushes,substantially as described.

Signed at Glasgow, Scotland, this 14th day of November, 1898.

WILLIAM BOWIE. JOHN BOWIE.

Witnesses:

H. D. FITZPATRIOK, WILLIAM GALL.

